Buffalo Announces National Bike Month Events for May

GObike Buffalo and Reddy Bikeshare, both in partnership with Independent Health, announce National Bike Month events for May 2019, including the SkyRide, presented by Independent Health, GObike Buffalo’s signature event and fundraiser bringing cyclists atop the 110-foot Skyway, the Scajaquada and Kensington Expressways, and our urban parkway system.

The bike month calendar includes:

● Seven free community group rides with GObike Buffalo’s Slow Roll Buffalo;
● Community bike trains on Bike to School Day (May 8) and Bike to Work Day (May 17);
● Free bike breakfasts at the Hostel Buffalo Niagara, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, and Remedy House; and
● Buffalo Bike Tours including the free May’den Voyage on May 1.

To help residents and visitors participate in bike month events, Reddy Bikeshare is offering discounted annual passes, a new $3 membership option and members can receive discounted helmets with Campus Wheelworks.

“Though we ride all year long, GObike Buffalo looks forward to May as the kick-off to our season of events, including the SkyRide, our signature ride over Buffalo’s urban highways,” said Justin Booth, executive director of GObike Buffalo. “Since our founding a decade ago, we’ve seen our cycling community continue to expand as our region embraces the benefits of walkable, bikeable infrastructure for community members and our region as a whole.”

While the month of activities and promotions is intended to support and encourage cycling as a healthy, fun, easy and greener way to travel, GObike Buffalo works to make bicycling in the City of Buffalo a safe, and accessible option year-round.

“The City of Buffalo is proud to continue the construction of bicycle facilities in 2019, with new infrastructure including contraflow lanes on Carolina Street, dedicated lanes on Fillmore Avenue from N. Parade to Best, and dedicated lanes on Lincoln Parkway,” said Mayor Byron W. Brown. “In addition to improving accessibility, safety and health of our Buffalo residents, we recognize the importance of bike infrastructure in encouraging tourism, boosting our local economy, and supporting smart growth development in our downtown core.”

The SkyRide, presented by Independent Health with support from M&T Bank, will take place on Sunday, May 19. Registration is open through May 14 at skyridebuffalo.org. This year, kids are allowed on all routes with an accompanying adults and three routes of varying accessibility allow people of all ages and abilities to participate. Proceeds from the fundraiser benefit GObike Buffalo and their mission to make Buffalo more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, including providing education, advocacy and policy work, and infrastructure planning; running the community workshop; providing Recycle-a-Bicycle classes throughout the city; and providing 26 free community Monday-night bike rides through Slow Roll Buffalo,, also presented by Independent Health.

In addition to the Monday night rides, the Slow Roll Buffalo 2019 schedule includes 17 additional weekend rides, with the first being in Niagara Falls on May 11 hosted by the African Heritage Food Co-Op.

“With the removal of the Niagara Scenic Parkway allowing additional greenway paths in Niagara Falls, the development of a Bicycle Master Plan for the city and the launch of Reddy Bikeshare later this year, we chose to host the first stampede in Niagara Falls to highlight the progress underway in our neighboring city,” said Justin Booth. “We are excited to help make Niagara Falls more accessible by bike and look forward to many great rides there this coming season.”

“Regular cycling has proven to provide many health benefits, including improved cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle strength and flexibility, decreased stress levels, and reduced body fat levels, and many other prevention and disease management advantages,” said Nora McGuire, chief marketing officer for Independent Health. “Through our partnerships with GObike, Slow Roll and Reddy Bikeshare, we are helping to not only improve the health and wellbeing of Western New Yorkers, we are also providing alternative means of green transportation, boosting the local economy and further advancing the revitalization of our city and our region.”

Reddy Bikeshare is currently operating in its 4th season in Buffalo with 200 GPS-based bikes available in over 40 locations. The program, in partnership with Independent Health, is offering a new $3 membership option tailored to visitors that gives riders access to bikes for 2 days. In honor of National Bike Month, Reddy is also offering a 50% discount on annual memberships with promo code BIKEMONTH19. This month, Reddy Bikeshare will be hosting guided rides during bike to work week. Interested participants can check the bike month calendar for more details.

Current members of Reddy Bikeshare can also redeem a 20% off discount for helmets at Campus Wheelworks at 744 Elmwood Ave. Members can use the Social Bicycles app to show an active membership status to the Campus Wheelworks representative.

A full schedule of events and much more is available at gobikebuffalo.org. For Reddy Bikeshare registration and rack locations, visit www.reddybikeshare.com.

About Shared Mobility, Inc. Shared Mobility Inc. (SMI) of Buffalo, New York operates Reddy Bikeshare and is a transportation solutions nonprofit that focuses on cutting-edge technology and best practices to build mobility systems that serve disadvantaged communities in small and mid-sized markets. These communities are not traditional markets for shared mobility operators, and SMI’s work often requires tailoring mobility solutions to fit the needs of each area. Throughout its 10 years of experience, SMI has worked across the shared mobility spectrum in the fundraising, deployment, growth, and evaluation of shared transportation systems. This includes bikesharing, carsharing, volunteer transportation, vanpooling, and transportation demand management programs. It seeks to apply the same social-equity focused mindset to its nationwide portfolio of projects. For further information, visit www.sharedmobilty.org.

About GObike Buffalo. GObike promotes active mobility options, trails and greenways, and complete streets in Western New York. We connect and empower communities through advocacy, education, planning, and engagement. Visit gobikebuffalo.org for more information.